THE TIGER KING – A SHORT FABLE

Once upon a time there lived a tiger in a heavy, rich and bounteous marshland but
suffering from a terrible disease caused by the mammalian greed virus. The tiger
said to the mammals, "Give me your vote. Make me your leader and I will bring
change in our destitute land." They believed him and he became the Tiger King.

Now the Tiger King wanted change but the change he was talking about was in
himself. Many years ago he had seen a movie called "The Lion King". "Ah!" he
had said to himself. "What a leader! What a king! That's what I want to be." But
he looked in the mirror and saw he was striped. "That won't do," he said. "I must
change" — for the greed virus had affected him too.

Now he had his chance. As the King, he commanded all the resources of the
marshland. So he gathered all the mud he could find and slung it on himself.
Soon the black stripes had turned tan, but he could not muster a mane no matter
how much mud he caked on. The lions laughed at him in their comfortable clubs
and salons; their hirelings mocked him with gossip.

And soon the other mammals were laughing too … also crying, because nothing
had changed, only the king …